{"id":53664,"date":"2022-03-18T10:22:37","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T18:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/03\/18\/alabama-bill-would-force-women-who-want-medical-marijuana-to-show-negative-pregnancy-tests\/"},"modified":"2022-03-18T13:46:17","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T21:46:17","slug":"alabama-bill-would-force-women-who-want-medical-marijuana-to-show-negative-pregnancy-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/03\/18\/alabama-bill-would-force-women-who-want-medical-marijuana-to-show-negative-pregnancy-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"Alabama Bill Would Force Women Who Want Medical Marijuana To Show Negative Pregnancy Tests"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-110.jpg\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1500\"> <\/p>\n<p>An Alabama senator on Thursday introduced a bill that would require women \u201cof childbearing age\u201d to present proof that they\u2019re not pregnant in order to purchase medical cannabis products\u2014a proposal facing sharp resistance from drug policy and civil rights activists.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Larry Stutts (R) filed the bill, which would amend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/alabama-governor-signs-medical-marijuana-legalization-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the state\u2019s medical marijuana law that was enacted last year<\/a> by mandating dispensaries to require any woman between the ages of 25 and 50 to provide \u201ca negative pregnancy test either from her physician or documentation from a certified medical lab that has been ordered by a physician licensed in Alabama.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe documentation must be dated within 48 hours of purchase before she may purchase any medical cannabis except in the capacity as a registered caregiver,\u201d it <a href=\"http:\/\/alisondb.legislature.state.al.us\/ALISON\/SearchableInstruments\/2022RS\/PrintFiles\/SB324-int.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">says<\/a>, adding that breastfeeding women would also be barred from purchasing medical cannabis products.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2014<br \/>\n<strong>Marijuana Moment is already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/marijuanamoment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9128 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-109.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Learn more about our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/marijuanamoment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.<br \/>\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny registered qualified patient who becomes pregnant shall report her pregnancy status to her registered certifying physician and shall be prohibited from obtaining medical cannabis throughout the pregnancy,\u201d the legislation also says.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the bill stipulates that no dispensaries could be located within 1,000 feet of a daycare center or two-year or four-year \u201cinstitution of higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emma Roth, a staff attorney at National Advocates For Pregnant Women (NAPW), told Marijuana Moment that the bill \u201cwould violate women\u2019s right to privacy and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s another attempt to police pregnancy in the name of the fetus when medical marijuana poses no greater harm than other common exposures during pregnancy,\u201d Roth said. \u201cAnd where would the state\u2019s reach end? Would a negative pregnancy test be required to be around smokers, to drink coffee or to work a factory job?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Roth cited a 2020 scientific review that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2020.00816\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">concluded<\/a> \u201ccurrent evidence does not suggest that prenatal cannabis exposure alone is associated with clinically significant cognitive functioning impairments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stutts, for his part, previously filed a virtually identical <a href=\"http:\/\/alisondb.legislature.state.al.us\/ALISON\/SearchableInstruments\/2022RS\/PrintFiles\/SB278-int.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">version<\/a> of the new bill earlier this month. It\u2019s unclear why it was reintroduced, but the versions were referred to different committees so it may have been a procedural decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need some parameters, and I\u2019m still not in favor of the marijuana bill,\u201d Stutts, who is an obstetrician, <a href=\"https:\/\/1819news.com\/news\/item\/legislation-would-prohibit-prescribing-medical-cannabis-to-pregnant-women-03-07-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> in a recent interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5. \u201cBut it is in place. I think it can be improved, and one of the ways it can be improved is to limit pregnant people using it, limit their availability to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s plenty of data for the harmful effects of marijuana during pregnancy. And I just simply felt like we need to have some guidelines in the bill,\u201d he said. \u201cYeah, the marijuana bill is law now but if we\u2019re going to have that as the law, we need to set some parameters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oklahoma regulators faced significant pushback in 2018 after proposing a rule that would have required women to complete a pregnancy test before receiving a medical cannabis recommendation from a doctor. The department faced lawsuits\u2014as well as opposition from the state attorney general\u2019s office\u2014and regulators ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/15bcefc1c5bd4ccfac5eed41f3dc6d2c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">revised<\/a> the rule to eliminate the provision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRequiring women submit to a pregnancy test before their doctor may make a medical marijuana recommendation is discriminatory and a clear violation of the 14th Amendment,\u201d ACLU of Oklahoma <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acluok.org\/en\/news\/aclu-oklahoma-calls-state-board-health-retract-unconstitutional-medical-marijuana-rules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> following the rule proposal before it was eliminated.<\/p>\n<p>Back in Alabama, the governor signed a limited medical cannabis legalization bill in May 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, a key Alabama Senate committee separately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/alabama-senators-approve-marijuana-decriminalization-and-expungements-bill-in-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">approved a bill to decriminalize marijuana possession<\/a> and provide expungements for people with prior convictions, sending it to the full Senate for consideration.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"uwvuMxAosb\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/colorado-treasurer-discusses-need-for-federal-marijuana-banking-reform-and-impact-of-senate-inaction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Colorado Treasurer Discusses Need For Federal Marijuana Banking Reform And Impact Of Senate Inaction<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p \/>\n<p><em>Photo courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/schattenraum\/16041577621\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/alabama-bill-would-force-women-who-want-medical-marijuana-to-show-negative-pregnancy-tests\/\" target=\"_blank\">Alabama Bill Would Force Women Who Want Medical Marijuana To Show Negative Pregnancy Tests<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\" target=\"_blank\">Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nRead More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/alabama-bill-would-force-women-who-want-medical-marijuana-to-show-negative-pregnancy-tests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Alabama Bill Would Force Women Who Want Medical Marijuana To Show Negative Pregnancy Tests<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Alabama senator on Thursday introduced a bill that would require women \u201cof childbearing age\u201d to present proof that they\u2019re not pregnant in order to purchase medical cannabis products\u2014a proposal facing sharp resistance from drug policy and civil rights activists. Sen. Larry Stutts (R) filed the bill, which would amend<span class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/03\/18\/alabama-bill-would-force-women-who-want-medical-marijuana-to-show-negative-pregnancy-tests\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":53665,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53664"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53664"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53666,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53664\/revisions\/53666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}